Moving-picture machine.



'F. McMILLAN.

MOVING PICTURE'MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.10.I917.

1,275,956. Patehted Aug. 13, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEE? 1.

F. McMlLLAN.

MOVING PICTURE MACHINE.

APPLICATION min SEPT. 10. 1917.

1,275,956. Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 7/71/77? @351, 1g jZV7Z77/7",

F. McMILLAN.

MOVING PICTURE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.IO. 1917- 1 ,2? 5 956 Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' Glenellyn,

FRANK ll IoT'ILLAN, "O3? GLENELLYH, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNUfi 0F NIHE-TENTHS T0 HARTLEY I4. REPLOGLE, OF CHECAGG, ILLIBTOIS.

MQVING-PICTURE MACHINE.

specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Aug 13, 1918.

Application filed September 10, 1917. serial 1i 0. 190,5'5.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, FRANK Mohlrnnen, a citizen or": the United States, residing at county of Dupage, and State of lllinois have invented certain new and useful Improvements in. Moving-Picture Ma chines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has to do with certain improvements in moving picture machines of the intermittent type-that is, the type in which the film moves intermittently-the shutter being closed during the periods of movement and being open during the periods of rest. More particularly the invention has to do with a construction of moving picture machine which is very well adapted for use in the home. It will presently appear that the machine is not limited in its usefulness to this particular class of service.

One of the obyects oi? the present invention is to provide a unitary structure containing the lamp housing, the intermittent mechanism, and the film reels all within a single housing and in an extremely compact arrangement. Another object is to greatly simplify the intermittent mechanism itself, so that the same can be built from a minimum number of parts and oi maximum snnplicity.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction of lamp housing such that the same can he used from time to time with lamps and condensing lenses of difierent sizes and strengths, and also so that manufacturing the machines in stock quantities, the same mechanical structure can be used with condensing lenses of whatever strength and characteristic it may be possible to procure at the time the order is being filled.

Another feature of the invention has to do with the construction of the framing mechanism and in this connection an ob ect is to greatly simplify the framing device and so arrange the same that it can be built from a minimum number of parts.

Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a detailed description of the same which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings:

. Figure 1 shows an interior View of the operating chamber of the machine, the lamp housing being shown in section so as to reveal its interior construction;

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the interior .mechanism of the machine, the top of the Fig. l shows a vertical section through certain of the intermittent mechanism, and

it shows particularly the construction of the film framing device.

Fig. 5 shows a vertical section through the fire door and aperture plate and Fig. 6 shows on enlarged scale a back view of the intermittent mechanism.

The mechanism of the present machine is conveniently contained or mounted within a unitary cabinet or housing which cabinet carries the intermittent mechanism, the lamp I housing, and both of the filmreels. lhis cabinet is so constructed that all of the forc going parts may be mounted within it avery compact manner and so that they occupy substantially a minimum amount of space. The cabinet is conveniently divided into two interior rooms or chambers corresponding to the two reels between which the lilm is exchanged.

As shown in the several figures the cabinet includes a back wall '3, a bottom 8 a front wall 9, and a top 10. in its rear portion the cabinet is provided with a pair of vertical posts or boards 11 and 12 on which are hinged the side doors 13 and 14 respectively. Each of these doors is provided'with a suitable form of spring catch 15 and knob 16 by means of which it may be conveniently manipulated when the doors 13 and is are closed. They serve tocomplete the side walls of the cabinet and inclosc the same.

A door 1! is hinged to the top 10 so that when said door-is opened it serves to expose the top portions of the intermittent mechanism and also that section of the film extending between the two compartments or chambers.

A partition 18 divides the interior of the cabinet into the two chambers 19 and 20 as best shown in Fig. 2. The chamber 19 houses the bulk of the intermittent mechanism and also carries the reel onto which the film is wound during its display, while the chamber 20 carries a portion of theintermittent mechanism and also the reel from which the film is being drawn.

A lamp housing 21 is located in theupper rear corner of the cabinet as is well shown in Eigs. l and 2. This lamp housing is con veniently made from sheet metal or other fire proof material and is substantially inclosed and isolated fromthe film chamber. The lamp housing includes an L-shaped plate 22, which provides its front and bottom portions, and another Lshaped plate 23 which provides its top and back portions. These are'in conjunction with the side plates 24 and 25 shown in Fig. 2. The plate 23 is hinged to the upper front corner of the edge of the plate 22 by the hinge 26 so that the plate 23 may be raised on said hinge to expose the entire interior of the lamp housing. A ventilator 27 of suitable form is removably seated around the opening in the top of the lamp housing during the operation .of

the machine so as to properly ventilate the lamp housing.

An lL-shaped door 28 having the top and back wall sections 29 and 30, is hinged to the top edge of the back wall 7 on the hinge 31 as shown in Fig. 1. Upon removing the ventilator 27 the L-shaped door 28 may be drawn up so as to cover over the top and back portions of the lamp housing and thus fully inclose the cabinet.

Any suitable illumination may be placed within the lamp housing. A convenient source of light consists of the incandescent bulb 32 in the socket 33. This socket is mounted on a plate 34 which plate may be moved back and forth along the floor of the lamp housing and secured in any desired position by means of the wing nuts 35 threaded onto bolts extending through a slot 36 in the floor of the lamp housing. By means of this arrangement the source of light may be adjusted back and forth into whatever position may be desired.

The condensing lenses 37 are carried in a sleeve 33 having the helical slot 39, the sleeve 38 sliding freely within a collar 40 in the front wall of the lamp housing. The slot 39 cooperates with a fixed pin 41 so that as the sleeve 38 is rotated it will be moved in and out to thereby adjust the position of the condensing lenses with respect to the source of light. This adjustable arrangement is very desirable because in manufacturingthe machines in quantities it will often be advisable to secure the condensing lenses without particular regard to their focal length and strength, and in order to adapt them to the particular machine being manufactured they must be adjustable to the requirements of such machine. This adjustment may be secured in the present case by moving the condensing lenses themselves toward and away from the aperture net/asst plate and by moving the source of illumination toward and away from the condensing lenses.

The construction" of the intermittent mechanism is well shown in the various figures. The same includes a sprocket wheel 42, whereby the film is withdrawn at constant speed, and a beater pin 43 serving to move down the film once in each revolution. The beater pin is carried by a small disk 44 on the end of a stub shaft 45 which is driven by apinion 46. This pinion meshes with the main gear 47 which is concentric with the sprocket 42 and rotates in unison therewith. The shaft 45 extends through the wall or partition 18 to the back side thereof and into the chamber 20 where it carries the fly wheel 48. This arrangement is a very desirable one, because it insures a comparatively high speed of rotation of the fly wheel, since the fly wheel makes the same number of revolutions per minute as the beater pin, and it also insures a direct transmission ofshock or force back and forth between the pin 43, the pinion 46, and the fly wheel 48. 3

Located directly in line with the condensing lenses and the beam of light is the aperture plate 49 having the aperture 50. A film door 51 with the side flanges 52 and 53 is pivoted to the frame of the machine by a pin 54, so that the film door can be dropped back away from the aperture plate for the purpose of inserting or adjusting the film. This film door has an aperture 55 which lines up with the aperture 50 when the door is closed. It is also-provided with a pair of film pressure springs 56, each of which is in the form of a bow having its ends secured to the. door at the point 57, so that when the door is closed, the contacting face 58 of the spring will press flexibly against the edge of the film and hold the szime firmly against the face of the aperture ate.

At each of the four corners of the aper ture plate is a pin 59 carrying a roller 60 These pins and rollers are spaced apart the correct distance to receive between them the film and thereby guide its edges so as to keep the film traveling straight down between the aperture plate and the door.

The film door 51 may be locked in the closed position shown in Fig. 5 by means of a pin 61 having the handle or knob 62,

the inner end of said pin engaging with a fixed abutment when the door is in the closed position shown in Fig. 5. This pin 61 may be conveniently passed through the flanges 52 and 53 of the door.

The film is drawn from the reel 63 in the chamber 20 onto the reel 64 in the chamber 19 after having passed through theintermittent mechanism. These reels are mounted on thepins 65 and 66 respectively.

The cabinet door 14 has on its inner face a spring 67 which presses against the reel 63 so as to hold said reel close to the partition 18, and in like manner a spring 68 on the cabinet door 13 serves to press the reel 64 toward the partition 18.

A pin 66 may be provided with a key 69 adapted to engage a key-way in the hub of the reel so as to rotate the reel and take up the film as it is delivered. This pin 66 may also be provided with a pulley 70 by which it may be driven for this purpose.

Within the chamber 20 is a pulley 71, and

a similar pulley 72 is journaled within the chamber 19.

In front of the aperture plate 49 is mounted a box shutter 73, the same rotating on a stub shaft having the pinion 74. This stub shaft is driven by a gear 75 which is mounted on a stub shaft, which stub shaft extends through the partition and on its back-end carries a sprocket 76 within the chamber 20.

The film after leaving the reel 63 passes under the roller 71, under and over the sprocket 76, over the top edge of the partition 18 into the chamber 19, down between the aperture plate 49 and the film door 51, underneath the pin 43, over the sprocket 42, and underneath the roller 72 to the reel 64.

The film finger 77 carried by the arm 78 serves to hold the film in engagement with the sprocket 42, the film finger being provided with the annular grooves 79 and 80 which register with the pins of the sprocket 4-2. The arm 7 8 swings on the fixed pin 81, a spring 82 tending to rock the arm so as to hold the film finger 77 always in engagement with the sprocket. A similar construction is provided for the film finger 83 which engages the sprocket 76 within the chamber 20. Y

A lens of suitable form and characteristics 84 is mounted in the front wall 9 of the cabinet in line with the beam of light for the purpose of directing the same to the screen in the proper manner.

Means must be provided for driving the mechanisms thus far described, and means must also be provided for framing the fihn. A large gear wheel 85 is mounted concentrio with the sprocket 42, the teeth of said gear meshing with the gear 75, and thereby directly driving said gear and also the pinion 46 for the intermittent pin 43. The rotation of the gear 7 5 also drives the sprocket 76 and the pini0n74 for the box shutter 7 3.

The gear 85 is provided at one side with a belt groove 86 for the accommodation of the belt 87, whereby the pulley 70 isldriven in order to drive the reel 64. By the use of this construction, it is possible for the belt to slip either in the groove 86 or on the pulley 70 in order to compensate for changes in the diameter of'the reel 64. The parts are so proportioned that the reel 64 will be driven at suificient speed at all times to take up the film as it is delivered from the intermittent mechanism.

The film framing is accomplished by modifying the relative positions of the sprocket ber 42 has the floor 89. In this floor 89 there are provided a plurality of annular slots 90 through which extend. the pins 91, the inner ends of said pins'being engaged with the annular flange 88. An annular ring 92 rests against the floor 89 of'the sprocket cylinder 42, the springs 93 pressing said ring against the fioor of the sprocket cylinder, and simultaneously engaging the heads of the pins 91. There is thus created a considerable spring pressure between the flange 88 and the floor of the sprocket cylinder sufiicient in fact to cause the sprocket 42 to be driven at all times with the gear 85 7 during the normal operation ofthe machine.

The sprocket cylinder 42 has connected to its floor a bearing sleeve 94 which finds a bearing on the pin 95. This pin in turn finds a bearing in the fixed bearing sleeve 96. The pin 95 is drivingly connected to the gear 85, so that'by rotation of the said pin 95, thegear 85 is rotated, thereby also rotating the sprocket 42 and the remaining mechanisms. A crank 97 is connected to a hollow pin 98 which sets over the end of the bearing pin 95 and drives the said bearing pin by engagement of its end slots with a pin 99 on the bearing pin. A sleeve 100 sets down over the hollow pin 98, said sleeve having a milled head 101 by means of which it may be turned, and having on its inner end the fingers 102 engaging with a slot in the end of the bearing sleeve 94. Consequently by rotating the sleeve 100 relatively with respect to the hollow pin 98, the relative positions of the gear 85 and the sprocket 42 will be shifted. Such adjustment will ordinarily be effected while the machine is idle, although it is possible .to make the adjustment while the machine is running.

The film may be rewound by simply running it backward through the machine, driving the-reel 63 by a suitable crank. At such time it will be desirable to unthread the film from the intermittent mechanism, and pass it over a air of rollers 108 and 104 above the partition 83. @r the film a may be reWound by reversing the positions of the reels and then driving the reel vvithin the chamber 19.

I have hereinbefore spoken or certain of the devices of the intermittent mechanism as being mounted on the partition 18. As a matter of fact it Will generally be convenient to mount all of the intermittent mechanisms on a metal base or partition 105 shown in Fig. 4 which, in turn, may be set onto a socket or cutaway portion of the partition 18 which is provided for that purose.

The hollow pin 98 and sleeve 100 Will preferably be so proportioned that, when the door 13 of the chamber 19 is closed, the crank 97 and the milled head 101 Will project beyond said door and outside of the chamber 19.

While l have herein shown and described only a single embodiment of my invention intense still ll do not limit myself to the said embodiment, except as I may do so in the claim.

I claim: in a moving picture machine, the combination of a cabinet having on its interior a vertical longitudinally extending partition serving to divide the cabinet into a pair of vertical reel chambers a horizontal film.

reel support in each chamber, a film reel on each of said supports, a door in the side Wall pose of directing the beam of light onto the screen, substantially as described. FRANK McMlLLAN. 

